SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After two years of adjustments and adaption with the coronavirus pandemic, students are back out of the classroom with only uncertainty for the days ahead.
The tension between the unions and the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) is spilling over and adding pressure onto parents.
Earlier Wednesday, the teachers union and the district said they hadn't met with each other at the bargaining table since negotiations fell through on Tuesday. The district told parents to expect another round of school closures for Thursday. The Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA) also announced the strike would enter its second day and no talks have been scheduled so far.
For many families, it turns their life upside down.
Laura Rodriguez said her son, Kevin, has struggled in some subjects since the pandemic happened.
"Math he knows, he does for himself, but for reading, it’s a little bit hard," Rodriguez said.
The teachers and staff strike has left 43,000 students across the district's 76 campuses without a classroom, and no one can say for sure how long that'll be the case.
SCUSD Superintendent Jorge Aguilar said the goal is to get students back in the classrooms by the end of the week. However, the situation is fluid and things are still to be determined.
"My goal is not to send another communication tomorrow indicating that our schools are going to remain closed for instruction on Friday. That is not ideal, and it's not appropriate," Aguilar said. "Our families are having to scramble in ways that are unimaginable for many of us."
Justin Nunez, a parent, said he doesn't have to worry about childcare at the moment amid the strike, but he realizes that other families might not be so lucky.
"If we both were out working or whatever, it would be extremely difficult to find somebody," he said.
Despite the challenges and sacrifices asked of parents and their kids, Nunez said he still supports teachers in their efforts.
"I was trying to explain to them (his kids) that it’s kind of part of American values, if you think about it -- strikes and boycotts and those kinds of things are instilled in our values," Nunez said.
Overall, most of the the parents ABC10 spoke with Wednesday evening said they're with the teachers and want them to get what they're asking for. However, they also hope that there is a deal soon as well.
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